Chapter Text
The pages are soft and thin between his fingers, and there are only a few left. Act 5 Scene 3, Claudio stands at Leonato’s family tomb, reading an epitaph for Hero, his ‘dead’ lover.
Todd has to admit he doesn’t like Claudio much. Sure, he takes into account the time period and patriarchy, but he can’t find any affection for someone who would so quickly turn on the person he’s supposed to love. His soliloquies are poetic enough, and he’s an interesting character, but one that you can’t ever seem to warm to. He much prefers Benedick.
In terms of Shakespeare's plays, Much Ado About Nothing probably ranks towards the bottom of his list, but still above some of the historicals or The Taming of The Shrew. It’s not a bad play per se- he just doesn’t love it quite as much as Coriolanus or Othello.
He looks out the window at the exact same countryside view he’s had for the last hour. A vast green expanse, some trees on the horizon, and a miserable gray sky.
He’s driven most of the way into New York City, and gotten on the train for the remainder of the journey. But, as God seems to dictate in most areas of his life, it hasn’t gone to plan and a problem has them all delayed.
Other passengers on the stationary train get restless. One woman shouts at her quartet of children, and another nags her husband to inquire with the driver about how long it’ll take. A young couple chats excitedly between themselves, formulating wild conspiracy theories that entertain Todd, if nothing else. There’s also a group of young men his own age, laughing like maniacs and ruffling each other's hair. One of them begins to chant ‘Do it’, and the rest of them join in.
The noise makes it difficult for him to focus on Hero’s funeral, and he’d ideally like to finish his re-read of the play before seeing it in person. At the very least, he had the foresight to book an evening showing of the play, so that situations like these don’t entirely derail his plans.
As he struggles to digest the verse on the page, one of the young men slides into the seat beside him.
Todd doesn’t really want to admit that he’s gorgeous. He’s got fluffy brown hair with eyes to match and wears a deep green sweater. As he surveys the stranger, Todd considers that he likes his nose shape and his eyebrows, and the mole to the left of his mouth.
“What’re you reading?” the stranger begins.
“Uh… Shakespeare,” Todd replies, praying the sweat gathering on his brow and beneath his armpits and literally everywhere isn’t visible. Meeting new people has never been his forte, and he’s never been so utterly powerless to escape the encounter.
The stranger tilts his head to read the cover. “Much Ado About Nothing! One of my favorites!”
Todd doesn’t believe him even slightly. He’s convinced the man is just making polite conversation, and he can see the gaggle of his friends in the corner all grinning and giggling. He’s brought back to his high school days, when boys would pretend to befriend him for the purpose of teasing.
“I’m Neil, by the way,” the stranger says with a wide smile. He thinks it could be genuine.
“Todd.”
“I’m guessing you’re going to see it in the city this evening?” he asks, gesturing to the book.
“Uhh yeah.”
A devilish grin creeps onto his lips. “Maybe I’ll see you there.”
Todd feels heat rush into his cheeks at the suggestion. He can’t deny that Neil is attractive- incredibly attractive- and therefore probably also taken or straight.
But, then again, how straight really is a man who likes Shakespeare?
Neil asks him about his other favorite Shakespeare plays, and then theater as a whole, and then they gravitate towards poetry and books and they’re both giggling about something or other when the train begins to move again.
When they pull into the station at 5:35PM, Neil is the first to stand, extending a hand.
“It was nice to meet you, Todd.”
Reluctantly, Todd accepts the handshake. The contact of his skin on Neil’s is electric. He notices in excruciating detail the way Neil’s hands feel against his- smooth but bony- and his grip is firm and the slight bit of his wrist exposed from his sleeve riding up is ridiculously diverting. Their hands just seem to fit, and his are slightly cold to counteract the warmth of Neil’s.
He revokes his hand almost as quickly as they touch because he knows, if he doesn’t, he might never let go. Neil doesn’t seem offended and wordlessly slips onto the station platform, re-joining his gaggle of friends. He sees one of them ruffle his hair, and another punches him enthusiastically in the arm.
Todd doubts very much that they’ll see each other later.
In the two-hour cavity of time between saying goodbye to Neil and the play's beginning, Todd visits a bookshop and gets a snack somewhere that doesn’t charge theater prices (tickets were expensive enough). Then, he’s pulling his jacket tighter around himself because it’s October and he’s standing in line outside the New Amsterdam theater. A dazzling marquee announces the ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ showing, and he hands over his singular ticket to the doorman.
Once inside, he spots two of the boys Neil was with earlier and doesn’t stick around long enough to check if Neil was there with them. He hides behind a pillar, periodically glancing over his shoulder to see if they’ve left, before scurrying up the stairs to the mezzanine level.
His seat is on the left in the front row, sandwiched between two elderly couples, and he feels quite possibly the most single a man can be.
The theater itself is gorgeous, with early 20th-century architecture and murals covering the ceilings and walls. He should, by all means, be comfortable, but he despises himself for actively, restlessly scanning the audience for a green sweater.
5 minutes pass, then 10, and the lights have dimmed.
The deep red curtain parts, revealing two young women, an older man and a young man.
Leonato announces Don Pedro’s arrival, and he and the Messenger debate the virtues of Count Claudio. Beatrice pokes fun at Benedick and expresses her desire never to marry.
“Don Pedro is approached,” the Messenger informs the group.
5 men enter, with Benedick and Beatrice exchanging verbal blows.
Todd doesn’t notice it until all but two of the cast exit, and Benedick and Claudio take center stage.
He’s not wearing a green sweater anymore.
“Benedick, didst thou note the daughter of Signior Leonato?” Claudio- no, Neil- asks.
He’s completely absorbed into the scene, the man Todd met earlier completely evaporated and replaced by another. He plays his part so masterfully that each of his lines is packed with the raw emotion of a lovesick man.
Claudio stands at the edge of the stage, wistfully looking out over the audience. The count fixes on one point in particular, and smiles.
“In mine eye, she is the sweetest lady that ever I looked on.”
He may not be a lady, but Todd hopes- no, swears- this line is delivered solely to him.
After Act 3 Scene 2, and a distraught Claudio will chastise Hero at their wedding. The curtains close and the lights fade up for the intermission.
Todd reels over the performance from the stranger on the train- a terrifyingly proficient actor- and muses over what is to come when a brunette woman taps his shoulder and holds out a small square of paper. He takes it and reads:
Todd,
Don’t go anywhere.
-N.P
He assumes N.P. are Neil’s initials and feels his stomach do that embarrassing flip it does when you’re equal parts excited and terrified.
The play, in his opinion, gets most interesting around Act 4, when all the drama begins to take place, but Todd can’t stop himself from willing it to be over. It all seems dull compared to the very real expectations he’s holding out for whatever happens after.
Perhaps the actor is indeed gay, and thought Todd was just as attractive as Todd thought he was. Or perhaps Neil just views it as a happy accident and looks forward to making a new friend. Either way, Claudio’s rampage at his fiancée and inconsolable grief is the only thing capable of grabbing Todd's attention in the ensuing hour.
Then the curtains close again, and the lights fade up. People begin to shuffle out of their seats, and Todd awkwardly allows everyone to scoot past him. The ground floor quickly empties, and so do the balconies, leaving Todd and the theater staff, urging him to leave. He begins to think he misread the note and keeps glancing back at it. Perhaps Neil means for them to meet elsewhere. Or maybe he’s changed his mind and doesn’t want to meet Todd after all.
The play has been over for 20 minutes by the time Neil shows up, panting and dripping with sweat and wearing an adorable grin that evaporates any sense of resentment at his waiting so long.
If Todd were ever asked his favorite Shakespeare play from that moment on, his answer would probably be quite different.